Sound scape Binckhorst

I started analyzing the first location, the binckhorst in The Hague. I recorded the environment sounds starting from the The Hague HS station all the way to the cemetery in the center of the binckhorst. The goal of this sound analyze was to capture the atmosphere, find unique sounds and establish the sound borders of the location. The data I have collected I will used to create two different approaches.  

For this approach I take the wave diagram of the recordings and place them over the route I walked. I have placed the routing in a abstract version of the area. In this map I can see the loudness and intensity of the sounds in the area in combination with the locations of the sound source.

But the this map only gives me data in the form of numbers, and not a atmosphere of the location. In order to “catch” the atmosphere I wrote a story, based on the book of Jose Saramago, Blindness. In his book a infectious disease blinds all the people in a city. In order to quarantine the disease, the government locks up the blind in a old asylum, until they can find a cure. After things come to a climax and the asylum burns down, all the blind find them self in the city what now have turned completely blind. Now the book follows the main characters in their journey into the city, but I split up from this point and write a story of three individuals who, after escaping the asylum and found themselves lost in the world, each came to one of the three location I chosen. They will experience the area blind, meaning that my the story will focus on the other senses. These three stories, together with the analytical data from the sound map,  will give me a understanding of the locations not only of the intensity, loudness and source of the sounds, but also about the experience of the area through the senses.  

(beginning of the three stories: "You tell the blind, you are free, you open the door that separates them from the outside world and repeat, you can go, you are free, but he does not go, he stands there in the middle of the street together with the other, they are terrified, do not know where to go, there is just no comparison between life in a rational labyrinth, what a asylum by definition is, and going without guidance in the crazy labyrinth what we call a city, where memory will not do you any good, because at its best it shows you places, and not the roads leading towards them. The blind stand in front of the building, flames come from every direction, they feel the heat waves slamming at their faces, just like the walls before meant also imprisonment as security....

I stand admits the blind, like everyone else confuse, afraid, lost............")

In order to compare these data, and the experiences, with the data of the other two areas (Rotterdam and Schinnen). I create a linear diagram of the map, showing the same information as the first map, together with the experience of the story. Creating this linear diagram gives me the opportunity to compare the three locations.

Analyzing stories!

For analyzing the three locations I came up with the following story: In the book 'City of the blind' by José Saramago creates a world where he transforms blindness into a metaphor for his critique on modern society. Blindness not only stands for the absent of vision, but for showing us what we are, in his eyes.

In the book the "crazy house", that houses all the blind that became infected by the blindness disease, collapsed and burns after the happenings inside reached its climax. The house, that sheltered and gave the people a place on earth, was gone. Most of the people where brought there blind and now have no idea where they are. They lost there link to the earth. Struggling to survive and re finding there place on earth again the story of José Saramago and my research intertwine. From here on we will follow three of the characters out of the book, how they will find there way around the chosen location of my project. There blindness will describe the area from there perspective. Sound, smell, touch, taste will be there world. Concept as time, distance, society, life and dead describe the area on a different level then you and me will see them. With the addition of sound maps and materials gathered from the area this story will provide a map of the area different from our view on the side.

Analyzing the areas on a sensory level and combining them with the story of 'the city of the blind' creates a concept not only formed by the absent of vision. But also one that criticizes modern society and our lack of vision.

The idea (until now!) is to finish the analyzes with a concept model for all three locations based on the analyzes of the area. In the msc 4 one off these models will be the base for the design which I will work out.

Explore Lab 9 Fascination!

PROBLEM STATEMENT : How can literature enrich architecture with an phenomenological understanding of space?

RESEARCH // The first part of the project will consist out of two researches. First I start to research Literature as an tool for architectural design. By using the methodology a writer possesses to construct a narrative (like perspective, character, time, description, etc.) and using the freedom writing provides in designing, I’m capable of looking through the eyes of the users and see possible futures for the design.

The second research topic will be about phenomenology and more precise about the body in architecture. Using the theories of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and other philosophers of phenomenology, I’m trying to find the influence the body (and with it the senses) has on architecture. This topic will be combined with my history thesis. For this thesis I’m searching for the development of the body in architecture throughout history.

The results of these two researches will deliver a framework and the basis of information for the design in the second part of the project.

DESIGN // The second part of the project is the design part. After reading ‘the eye of the skin’ from Juhani Pallasma I started to question the dominancy of the eye over the other senses. According to the book, the eye is the only sense that can keep up with the speed of our modern technological world. This is clearly seen in contemporary architecture, where all the cities starting to look like the same image. But also in our everyday live we see the importance of the image over everything else. Just think of the fashion world where the ‘I’ is thought of as ‘how we appear’.

Because of my critique on the dominancy of the eye I‘ve decided to put more attention on the other senses. To do this I choose to take away the eye in the form of designing a institute for the blind.